Inner Universe
by Nusaka
Summary: 26 universes, 26 lives and deaths, 26 relationships, 26 drabbles of Gaara and Hinata. Gaahina Chapter 12 L is for...Loquacious rated M now.
1. Chapter 1

Inner Universe

_(A is for…)_

_Abattoir _

He liked it. He liked hearing the thud of someone's heartbeat, so alive and vibrant in a way a smile never could be. Thud in apprehension, fear and the preparation for a coming death. He liked the sound of the steady beat, escalating like a horror film's violins and guitars and drums. He liked hers, hadn't heard such a sound from a human's heartbeat before.

She was like the human rabbit or deer, because unlike others, she knew the gaze of eyes in the back of her head, knew the prickle of fear on the back of her neck meant a warning sign and knew the silent, slow, stalking strut of a predator. Gaara had watched her fall during her Chuunin exam, that sepia blood spread all over like grotesque paint. He had watched her rise and fall again. Stubborn as an ox but weak and fragile as a baby sparrow. He wondered how it must be for such a weakling as her fight against her place in the food chain, like a rabbit trying to devour the meat of a wolf.

She had coughed up so much when her relative's fists flew in a flurry to hit key points in her body. Her heartbeat must have been so loud and erratic, beating its wings or hooves against the cage that was her protective and more than likely frail ribcage violently in a hysterical manner. When she'd fallen, there was a fear that she would die. He watched them cart her away, droplets of blood still lingering. _God_. She made the arena smell so _good_ – so much like a _wondrously and freshly used slaughterhouse_. There were smears of blood left, even when Gaara was fighting, he could smell her all around him and Shukaku had purred his appreciation.

That was then. This, right now, right here, outside the door she was staying in, this was _now_. The nurse had stuttered the girl's room number when all color had left her face as he'd glared impatiently at her. He only needed to know the level number because the scent of her blood carried, fiercely and sweetly – like a siren's song. He stood firmly, arms crossed over his chest, outside her door with his nose almost touching the wood.

He listened to her breathe sharply within her hospital door. His form slowly dissolved and he poured through the cracks beneath the door and through the key hole.

She lay still, utterly still and quiet save for her occasional harsh intake. A machine attached to her wrist was taking her pulse and overseeing it. Her chest moved up then down in a rhythm.

She still smelled the same though they had quickly washed the blood from her with water – like a slaughterhouse. The room that had gathered her scent just so – collectively and heavily. Gaara nearly felt his eyes roll to the back of his head.

He heard Shukaku murmur in a sing song voice, _Little lamb, little lamb…who will find you now that you're so far away?_

Gaara turned his head when he heard someone coming footsteps that were not silent and quick enough to be a shinobi and a squeaky wheel of a cart. Out of the corner, he heard her sigh in her sleep. Her breath smelled like her blood.

_Little lamb, little lamb….little lamb_…

His form dissolved once more and he was whisked from the room via an open window and wind. Fresh, warm and clean air caught his nostrils as he reformed into a body once more, crouching on a tree outside her window and he _hated_ it. He wanted _that_ scent again – the scent of a slaughterhouse up for grabs. He stood and watched the nurse enter with a tray of medicine. He watched her frown and brush something from the girl's pillow in a motherly manner. He inhaled sharply when the wind hit just right and discreetly, like a secret subliminal message; there it was – that scent. _Slaughterhouse of the lambs_.

Grains of sand washed down the tree and the nurse looking right at the redheaded boy outside the injured girl's blinked as he vanished.

-

O.O I know, I know. I have a ton of other crap to do but STFU :/…. Read and Review. Next chapter, it's going to be B is for…and if you want, send in the word and I'll try to work around it if I like the sound of it. **Hint:** if you want to send in a word; it has to be something not commonly used. :D I'm going to be using weird words and I'm not posting the definitions unless people would like me to, because like my friend, are too lazy to look them up. Now. The price is to review –points floppy plastic sword at audience- Oh yeah. I'm ready to kick ass now. XD Seriously though folks. -.-


	2. Chapter 2

Dedicated to _akuma de soro_ who sent in this word. Hope ya'll like this drabble. Set in slight AU

Inner Universe

_(B is for…) _

_Bodhisattva _

Gaara knew many things, from hiding in torrid secret; seen blood and screams and death without his cause. He was far older than his own tender age of fifteen – had seen too many things in his lifetime to be considered a normal teenager. He wanted it too; he wasn't completely horrible and angry now that Naruto had befriended him – he wanted what those _other_ people had as well. The laughs they shared, the smiles exchanged – he wanted everything they had. His sister joked around with him often and on many occasions told him dirty jokes, sometimes she would take (he'd force her to) him with her meetings with Shikamaru and he'd keep his eye on that lazy boy. Kankurou told dirty jokes; dirtier than Temari's and always asked if he was okay.

It wasn't the same though; siblings he learned were not the same as friends. He watched two girls giggle and hold pinkies childishly, pointing at boys down the street. Couples paraded down the alleys and streets, fresh from the lengthy festival Konoha had invited him and his siblings to. He turned away from the crowds and walked down an empty street of Konohagakure. There was snow, it was harshly cold but it didn't bother him and he ignored the irritated rumble of Shukaku in his chest. A chilled wind blew by and something caught his nose; the scent of coffee. He turned and came to face the clear glass of a small café; _Picker Upper _and he saw a single person in it, quietly reading a book.

She didn't look like she had recently arrived from the festival, stuffed with goodies, adorning a silken kimono or a beautiful fan. She looked like she had stayed in here while _they_ were out, laughing and having fun; enjoying the company of others. He opened the door silently and the bell perched atop the door didn't ring. She looked up and he saw opalescent eyes reflect the light overhead. He stood still, wondering why he'd entered the café in the first place, seeing her nervous expression. Why should this pitiful little creature differ from the others. He turned, feeling angry for being foolish in his train of thought, to go back out into the cold and leave the warm little establishment.

He heard a cough behind him, his back turned to the girl, a cough to gain another's attention. He turned his head slightly, looking at her from the corner of his eye. She smiled a bit, nervous expression printed on her face, fear in her eyes but something twinkled at the edges of her eyes that made him stop. "H-hello…" she murmured demurely, biting into her bottom lip while speaking to him, eyes downcast slightly.

Gaara felt his brain momentarily freeze; he recognized that as what Naruto had said and he quote, 'conversation start'. He distinctly remembered what Naruto had told him to say, to seem a type of mediocre normal amongst these people. The girl was not a social butterfly, which he could tell by just a mere assessment of her manners. The redhead tipped his head slightly, answering with a rather curt and an unintentionally harsh, "Hello."

His manners had her wince and bite down on her lip harder. He ignored the inquisition if it was enough to make the little girl bleed. "How…um…h-how are y-you?" she asked, eyes finally deciding to lock on a tress of red hair, curling towards the eye turned to her.

"Fine…" what were they doing? He remembered her vaguely, a timid little rabbit of a person who stood toe to toe with a hawk of enormous size compared to her; losing horribly. He knew himself better than anyone, apparently, and this little piece of prey was communicating with a wolf with a muzzle on; he talking back mildly. It was awkward – trying to talk to someone who was a polar opposite and quiet and clamed up as easily as he. He cleared his throat; thinking of what Naruto muttered to him when he tried talking to the waitress; accidently scaring her off in a flurry of tears once when the two had gone together, "_you need to work on your social skills, Gaara…_". Gaara cleared his throat, feeling unsure and almost…panicked. "You?"

It sounded like a robot responding mechanically to a rusty math equation; voice flat with slight tinge of harshness due to lack of use. The girl either chose to ignore it or was too close to her own nervous breakdown to notice, "Uhm…y-you know…o-okay…" her fingers twiddled. By this time, Gaara had faced her entirely, staring down at her with dulled, mild and blank looking eyes.

He nodded, as though in approval at her answer. He was silent and thinking of ways to say something without sounding stupid or desperate for more social connections to others besides his siblings and Naruto. The girl beat him to the punch line. "How, um, how was t-the festival?" she'd spat it out rather quickly, as though she'd been chewing on nails.

He blinked in return at first before shaking his head slightly, once, "I didn't go." He looked down at her training gear (a puffy jacket, sandals, socks, pants and a kunai pouch attached to her thigh) meaningfully, "And neither did you." He pointed out bluntly.

She looked down at herself and nodded quickly, "Mm, I, um, you know…d-didn't have anyone t-to go w-with…" her thumbs twiddled restlessly again, not meeting his face.

Gaara felt the skin of his brows bunch together in confusion, "Why?" he blurted out, not meaning to voice his inquiry but making it seem so natural that she didn't notice the blunder.

She bit her bottom lip much more harshly now, "…Um…n-no one asked m-me to go…" she sounded a bit mournful of the fact, but didn't stumble over words and blubbery crying.

Uncomfortable with the subject turn their 'conversation' had taken, he stared back at her, blinking every now and then. She looked down at her fingers and twisted them. She cast a quick look up at him, fear dissipating a bit, "Y-You can…" her eyebrows scrunched together and she took a deep breath, straightening her spine. "You can have a seat," she said, without stuttering amazingly. He looked down at the chair before him and pulled it out, hearing it screech over the tiles made his ears hurt. He sat down, and looked back at her unnervingly.

"N-Naruto-kun he t-told us that y-you…" she looked to her right then left and searched for a proper word, "F-felt better a-about being around people…" she added. Gaara nodded slowly, once and then twice. "S-so wh-when I saw you come in…" she trailed off and Gaara filled in the blanks.

He looked at the book she'd put down; an autobiography of a taijutsu instructor and his techniques. He looked back at Hinata, she who was attempting the most at getting a proper conversation started. "My name is…Gaara." Naruto had told him when you were meeting new people or possible friends; you gave them a handshake to seem friendly. He hesitated about holding out his hand to her, but this lamb would barely spit in his direction without fainting from rudeness or fright. He held out his hand and extended his fingers, palm open.

The pale eyed girl glanced down at his hand, expression thoroughly startled but she gave a small smile, taking his hand with a softer, calloused and firmly gripped hand. Gaara waited for her introduction rather impatiently and he tightened his grip around her hand momentarily before releasing it.

"I-I'm Hinata." She smiled again, small and shy while Gaara wondered why he felt compelled to smile back.

-

D: Oh my god. I made a cutesy tribute and I hate this chapter but unfortunately it was the only one I could seem to write. XD What the hell is WRONG with me:/ Song for this chapter is _Starlight_ by _Muse_. To those who sent in words I've never heard of before or they hadn't entered my mind beforehand; thank you. _Sabulum Procella, TSOH, passerby, akuma de soro, Wolfgirl21 and creynoso_, thank you for entering words and making me think a bit more on which way I wanted to lean. Read and review, have a nice read and a nice day folks. :P

:P Send in your words for _C is for_… too guyzos! I have a word in mind, but…I want your opinion. And what the hell is wrong with I couldn't post this yesterday. What the hell?! Do you people not like me something? -.- Don't answer that.

Words I had considered writing around: _Brusque, blackguard_ and _bantam_.


	3. Chapter 3

Inner Universe

_(C is for…) _

_Cicatrix _

A lithe form slept between white sheets and was curled into a tight ball. A tall man with red hair and dark bags under his eyes watched over her carefully, not wanting to touch her but the council and the Hyuuga elders would be demanded an heir and grandchild respectively. She was small and he was not, his form towered over hers and his head could even curl over her head. Their hands were awkward together; his were rough from the sand grains and were too large to hold her hand properly, tiny and small like a child's.

She shifted and Gaara tensed, but relaxed when she settled again and his luminous grey green eyes kept on her sleeping form. Hyuuga Hinata was his wife, but he saw that her eyes were hardly ever on him, instead watching the desert roll and the sands change, the winds howl and cry to the sky. She watched, instead of smiling at him like a normal wife did when they saw one another, everything but him.

She shifted and blanket eased off her back slowly. Her night shirt was twisted and rode up, revealing a long scar running from her hip and up to where he couldn't see past the other remnants of the fabric. His eyes narrowed, zoned in on the scar and observed its characteristics. It was jagged and wide, long and Gaara wondered who had sliced her belly open. She muttered something and the hand beneath her pillow moved, allowing something to shine in the light of the moon.

What Gaara saw did not surprise him, it was the blade of a well sharpened kunai and he knew, just by looking into her face, that she was an impeccably paranoid person. Like him.

The scar was a shining silvery grey that nearly matched her skin were it not for the bubbled skin it had. He approached, out of curiosity not ever actually seeing a scar before and never having one himself. The tip of his index finger prodded almost unnoticeably at the swollen skin. Her chest rose and fell, but he saw the momentary pulse of veins beneath the flesh of her temples. She knew, so she had immediately relaxed her grip on her kunai.

Gaara wondered if she'd ever been intimately touched, because that was what normal people _did_. He was not normal, and he was not allowing someone to see him so naked under the impression of trust and love. She was awake now anyway, "Did you have any previous lovers?" his voice was naturally curious and held no sense of actual concern over the matter because as his sister had told him, it was natural people wanted…to touch, feel.

She was silent and Gaara never really expected her to answer. "No," her voice came out quietly but he didn't mind, continuing to trace the scar's abnormal skin texture and not ever realizing that this was an intimate sort of gesture. He was not a normal person, so thusly was not bound by the terms of normality. Hinata didn't tell him to stop that though she was uncomfortable with people seeing much less touching her scar, she was a wife and wives of the Hyuuga households were always obedient. Like faithful dogs, Hinata mused as Gaara's nail nicked the edge of her scar, making her toes curl in a readiness.

"Why?" he asked again. She was normal; she looked, talked, acted and was vaguely normal – not an abnormality in society as he was. So…why hadn't she had a relationship?

"Why haven't you?" she asked, making it sound more like a retort due to a sore spot.

Gaara's bored fingers that had been listlessly tracing patterns on her scar stopped and stayed in place. "I am not a normal person."

Hinata waited for him to go on, but realized that was his explanation and she heard the ending; _only normal people have intimacy and lower their guard – I am not normal so therefore do not do that_. His index finger was tracing a triangle on her scar.

"Where did you get this?" he mused, a question that sounded like it was meant for him to only hear. She answered and was almost proud of it.

"There had been an attack on Konoha…one of the Akatsuki with a large weapon fought me." Hinata's eyes wandered, opalescent giving him a sharp, brief shock in Gaara's eyes when they met his. "It had been a tie." The Kazekage stared down at her but nodded, looking at the scar.

Hinata stared as she watched an unnamable emotion – an emotion that she had never seen on his face beforehand – creep on to his morbidly attractive face. It looked almost…uncertain. "I…" she watched his gaze narrow only by a hair, "I am not the…the best choice of a husband." He said finally and Hinata didn't move because he looked as though he was going to go on.

"But I won't let any harm come to you." He said grimly, features serious and set as stone. The tips of his fingers moved from her skin and Hinata realized that this was perhaps the most communication and contact they'd ever had in all their months of marriage. She also realized that this was a specific chance to patch things up in her life. She didn't want another failure to her long list. Her small hand let the kunai go and snatched his white Kazekage robe.

He stopped and stood still, then turned down to her hand and then to her.

Different sorts of words came to her mind and none of them she would like to say to him. He was too unknowing in the way of closeness and anything too bold would have his defenses up and horribly offensive. Her mouth moved, "You um…it's…" damn it, she sounded like she was a twelve year old pubescent, stuttering ninny again. _Talk to the man for gods' sake_, she coached herself, _he's your damn husband!_

Unwittingly, her eyes turned up to his messy hair, flaring this and that way like flickers of untamable flame. She licked her lips and spoke, "Your hair…could use a brush." She said, not feeling confident and inwardly, there was the sound of pots and pans crashing. He stared back and Hinata swore she was going to have a heart attack. He was smiling just a bit at her.

"Okay." He said, offhandedly and Hinata immediately motioned to comfortable chair over yonder on the other side of the giant bed.

"Sit down and I'll get the hair - I mean the Gaara - I mean the…brush…" she mumbled and slipped off the bed, releasing his robe and scurrying to the dresser to snatch. She turned to see he was sitting back in the chair comfortably. She held the brush by its ivory handle and moved to brush the bottom tips of his hair. He was tense when the backs of Hinata's knuckles brushed the nape of his neck. Hinata moved the bristles carefully and minded his ears.

He seemingly forced himself to relax, and Hinata knew that he was trying, in the way an 'abnormal' person could not. _It wasn't much_. Hinata's brush strokes were followed by her nails running through his hair gently.

_But it's a start_.

-

…-.- Yeah. It's crappy, it lacks in style, originality, the dialogue and actions are entirely wrong wrong wrong and so far, this one shot was absolutely hideous. Gaara was too touchy and entirely off centre, and his words weren't what I'd been aiming for. That was freaking depressing. -.-' Send in your words for 'D is for...' and thank you to _Suzume-kage, creynoso, akuma de soro_ and _TSOH _for sending in words for _'C is for_...'. :D Thankies.

Words I had tried/considered using: _Chimera, catalyst and cygnet_.


	4. Chapter 4

3

_Dedicated to _creynoso_ who had sent the word in; enjoy!_

Inner Universe

_(D is for…)_

_Diadem_

She saw the look in his eyes; those horribly pained and yet numbed orbs of death and destruction. He was tanned like white sand and his red hair flared this and that way in the sun. She had watched his arm stretch out and his hand turn to her and her teammates. Die.

His arm lowered abruptly and he walked away, she felt like her heart was breaking when he met her eyes fully, the Byakugan saw too much, unveiled too much and was her burden. Pain, pain, death, outcast – lone footsteps in miles and miles of sand. Yonder the black horizon, blood red sand hissed in the sobbing winds and desert snakes saw not human in him; they saw the humanoid form of the desert – their home – akin to their god.

Hinata had felt her heart clench and white wash covered a flash of smiling brightness, golden sunshine and blue skies.

In the night she thought of lonesome sands, harsh winds and a scarred heat beating coldly, barely budging.

††††

She thought her knees were going to rattle their way from her legs when she had faced her terror of a cousin. He was scowling ferociously at her, words nailing the right spots of her personality to break her down by her small foundations. Witty mind was abusing the weak and against hope she wanted to give up. A loud voice penetrated the miasma his had created like a refreshing cool mist. Snapping at him, her cousin backed down and stared at her furiously.

A murmur tickled the back of her mind and her Byakugan flicked on to see his arms crossed, looking down at her from his place above and behind her. Harsh eyes narrowed on her figure and a straight broadsword line for his mouth as though he was expecting something from her. Failure? Blood? Humility?

Yes. More than likely, but his chin lifted as though he was the king commanding his knight pawn to move forth. She spoke, "Let's fight."

She hit offense and she blocked continuously, feeling her courage and adrenaline running her but not her talent. Stone cold eyes glared at her through the visibility of her Byakugan – her hand skimmed over her cousin's stomach and missed by an inch.

††††

She lay with white sheets tucked about her, chakra having been pumped into her and she lingered between consciousness and dreamland. Her window, she mused faintly was the best one for viewing the moon – close this way and up high enough where it was fairly nice. She thought of red hair and the look of contempt when her fight had ended (_"Do you think me weak? I'm sorry to have been a disappointment._"). Dull grey green eyes stared right through her and nailed her on a cross with spikes of sand. Her fingers twitched and she inhaled sharply when a cough rattled its way up her throat.

Choking, gasping, wheezing – inability to breathe.

Hinata coughed harshly and blood leaked between her lips, eyes squeezed shut. Shadows played against her white curtain and out stepped him. Red hair and grey green eyes, pale white sand skin – the very epitome of the desert. Hinata wondered what he'd do; kings of his stature usually called for sacrifices didn't they?

He looked over at her as though noticing her presence and she bowed her head a bit; feeling slightly ill at ease. He looked out her window, where the moon shone and stared at it. He was saying something softly, but in a rumbling voice like an oncoming storm. "I can smell it," he murmured, eyes fixing on her form and narrowing in. "You've been watching me."

He had no shame; she realized and why should royalty? She had too much humility. Her eyes lowered and there was a brief silence – she could smell blood on him and perhaps his hunger had been satiated. She looked through the thick fringe of eyelashes she had and saw that the wind was drifting through as though coming at his beck and call, wrapping around his hair and clothes, tugging. He was from Sunagakure – the headband at his waist said so.

It spilled from her lips unbidden, unwanted and accidently, "…king…" she whispered and he turned to her. His face was blank but there was an upraising note in his eyes as though she had guessed right. As though it was a good thing she had recognized his position despite his disguise.

He turned from her and he approached her window, and then crouched on her sill to stare at the moon.

Even kings, she supposed quietly and observed him and now knowing that he could barely tolerate her because she could pose no threat to him and knew that she knew that he was king, need to breathe.

††††

He was to fight the Uchiha – the dark haired boy with black wings and a halo of barbed wire (_all the Hyuugas could see it on him but dared not to speak a word of this abomination because what was to come was to come_) and Hinata wanted to watch it. The red haired king of doom needed no army to defeat any opponent – a murmur and the sand would rise to his command. He was king, it was to be expected.

She watched the Uchiha spin and break through the king's dome of sand during the battle and the sand locked on his arm. The sand wasn't doing any offense and her Byakugan flickered on, seeing the Uchiha's hand and wrist right through king's shoulder. King…king was bleeding, Hinata realized with something akin to shock. He was being defeated.

The angel with black wings and a barbed wire for a halo was fighting and winning against the red haired king of the sands and wind. Something went wrong when she saw a pulse of foreign chakra; yellow like liquid gold. Fitting, she believed as her heart clenched and her chest swelled and she fell back.

††††

Naruto had truly defeated king, Hinata had heard from the pink haired girl named Sakura. She sat up in her hospital bed and drank her water, feeling glad that Naruto had saved them from king's wrath as she had recalled Sakura babbling about it excitedly and proudly to the Hokage a few weeks ago.

The wind blew and Hinata didn't need to lift her head to know that king was there. He must have come back to Konoha, but instead of wanting to destroy it, had come back to patch things up with Konohagakure apparently, perhaps. Kings didn't come back for servants. She smiled shyly beneath her hair, knowing he couldn't see it and stared at him beneath thick lashes. Red hair shone in the moonlight and his posture was straight, confident and spoke of volumes of power.

He looked over at her briefly and stared at her as though expecting something, waiting for some sort of reaction.

Fear? Yes; king was all powerful and cunning, ruthless and cruel. Uneasiness? Yes; king could do anything he wished because kings were never denied what their hearts desired.

She bowed her head a bit more and folded her hands in front of her, "King," she whispered so lowly that no one else could have heard her soft voice.

King did.

She looked beneath her lashes and hair to see him crouching on her window to look out the moon and not answering her.

After all, she reasoned while she stared at his back as he looked out into the night, king was quiet. He looked the type; silent, quiet, sneaky, deadly and dooming.

The wind blew in, cold and silent.

-

Some of you may not know why this chapter is called 'diadem', but Hinata continually calls Gaara 'king' instead of his actual name in this piece so the royalty playoff works well, I think. :D All from Hinata's POV, and it was…interesting to write this, really and not really any actual romance between the two but some sort of relationship as the summary promised. It did not lie. XD

Not normal fluff! XD Much better. Anyway, OOC, bad grammar/visual effects, I know but screw it. -.- Send in your words for '_E is for_…' and thanks to _TSOH, creynoso, KyuubiPandoraChan_ and _akuma de soro_ for your words.

Words I'd considered/tried using: _Diana, Dana_ (Celtic mother goddess suggested by my abusive muse person) and _dysfunctional_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Warnings**: _Complete, unadulterated, meaningless FLUFF_. D:

Inner Universe

_(E is for…) _

_Emollient _

He swore his head was three sizes too big and he had trouble talking without having to clear his throat. His voice sounded clogged and nasally and he'd sneezed on his documents three times in a row, getting mucus and spit on them. Gaara coughed behind his sneeze while he sluggishly read the same sentence three times over, not comprehending it and wondering why he felt a quiver in his stomach when a servant brought in some stuffed grilled winter melon and boiled crab, immediately sending the servant away.

The redheaded Kazekage stared down at lunch he'd been brought and something riled in his throat grossly, forcing him to turn his head away from the scent of his meal. The usually appetizing aroma smelt like warmed over rotten corpses in summer to Gaara who had to stick his head out of his window and inhale hot desert wind to replace the suffocating scent. He gagged a bit when he retracted his head from his window and into a wave of crab and winter melon that gave him a sharp cracking ache behind his forehead and a queasy bubbling feeling in his gut. Looking down at his papers which somehow now seemed fuzzy and hard to read, he covered his nose with his sleeve and sat at his desk.

It took him several moments to realize that there was another presence in the room and he turned groggy eyes up to the figure who stared down at him; Hinata. His wife of about ten months stood over him and stared at him intensely. "Gaara, I came in here to remind you that you have a meeting with the councilmen in a short while," she commented and continued to watch him like a large eyed hawk.

Gaara took his sleeve from his nose and mouth to reply but he inhaled. His stomach cramped, his throat burned and his eyes widened from the sudden feeling of nausea he had never experienced beforehand. Hinata's eyes widened when she took in his pale green tinted color and knew – he was undeniably sick.

Taking a napkin from his desk she forced it against his mouth and her other hand tugged his arm over her shoulder as she forcibly wrenched him to his feet, swaying and his heavier body made it harder for her to do multiple things without flailing a bit. He followed her numbly and she felt, against her side as she rushed him from his office and down the halls to look for a bathroom, his stomach heave a bit. The napkin was pressed more insistently against his mouth and he must really be feeling this catch up with him because he wasn't protesting to her. Hinata kept a tight grip on his shoulder awkwardly as she helped him walk (half dragging him) to the bathroom.

'_I don't think he's ever been sick before, has he?_' she wondered while she stuck her head in numerous rooms that were just guest bedrooms or entertainment parlors or bathing areas, but not bathrooms.

She didn't dare take her napkin shielded hand off his mouth so she continually had to balance his weight on her hip while she opened numerous rooms. The doorknob clicked and she saw a well sized bathroom, white tiled and marble counter. She didn't take enough time to notice anything but the obvious while she tugged him behind her into the bathroom and letting him slide to his knees. The napkin was wet with what Hinata guessed as saliva.

She took her hand away and his arms weakly scrambled for the edge of the porcelain toilet and she heard him wretch. She had taken care of Hanabi whenever she'd gotten sick so the sound of vomiting didn't bother her, but this was _Gaara_. He'd never been sick in his life and he must feel like just keeling over and dying from the foreign feelings many were already used to. He heaved again and Hinata rubbed his back, with one hand, her other hand making sure his lengthy hair was out of the way. She patted him on the back soothingly until he apparently was finished; leaning his forehead against the cool seat.

His breathing was heavy and Hinata, from keeping his hair out of the way could feel he had a fever; skin was unbearably hot and sweaty. He didn't move, only breathed deeply.

"Gaara?" she murmured, rubbing his back and the only response was that the almighty Kazekage gave a huff and turned his head slightly to her to gaze at her with a single unfocused grey green eye. "Come on, get up." She said, voice soft while she tugged on his white robe but he didn't move, opting instead to just lay there as though he was dead. She forced herself not to sigh at his absolute childishness, while her scrawny looking arms bulged with lean muscle from her style of fighting as she grasped under his armpits and dragged him up. He grumbled irritably and incoherently while she situated him over her shoulder and began to walk out the bathroom and into the hall to his room.

She opened the door and he followed her uncoordinatedly, until she lay him on his bed where he stared up at the ceiling and she took note of his sickly pallor. She made a clucking noise with her tongue and made to go make some balm and medicine for him until a large hand gripped her tiny wrist. She waited for him to say something, "Where…going…?" he muttered, eyes open and glazed, squinting at her as though she was far away.

"I'm going to make you some medicine, Gaara," she soothed, other hand patting his hand and prying his fingers from her wrist to do as she'd told him she was going to do. His hand wouldn't be pried from her and tightened its weak grip marginally.

He coughed when he said something to her, but she understood when she saw the small look of panic in his eyes; _stay_.

He was like a child who had never gotten sick; wanting someone to not leave them alone because they didn't know how to handle it – these feelings of nausea were unspeakably confusing and probably frightening. He no longer had the immunity of the Shukaku and it was the flu season anyway.

Hinata stared at his face then looked to his hand carefully before approaching him carefully and taking a seat on a chair close to the bed, letting his hand grip her wrist. He kept his eyes open for a few more moments before exhaustion forced his lids to shut.

Hinata leaned over and brushed away a few strands of thick hair while his chest rose and fell in a rhythm. She crossed her legs and looked out the large window that sunlight escaped from, warming the room comfortably. He sniffled in his sleep and like a child holding a stuffed animal, his grip tightened.

_'The medicine won't take long to make, anyway_,' Hinata thought sleepily as the sun hit her just right and her lids shut peacefully, going limp in the comfortable chair.

-

O.O I think I'm turning into a complete OOC **sap**. D: NOOOOOOO!!!! The hypocrisy of my rants is not lost on me. –sighs- Bummer man. Please send in your words for '_F is for_…' if you already haven't run away with your eyeballs melting and are currently in total disgust at me. I seriously don't blame you. **_I'm _**disgusted with me so give me a good word that I can work around and make it bloody. :D

Anyway, thank you to _KyuubiPandoraChan, ShioriAyano, Krait, captnjeje, creynoso, taixonay, Flyingphilosopher, TSOH_ and _Wolfgirl21_ for sending in various words. :D

Words I considered/tried working around: _Enmity, ethos, ebullient, Erebus_ and _echelon_.


	6. Chapter 6

4

Dedicated to _jbramx2_ who wrote that long ass review and made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside…like a puffy pastry. :D Thank you! It made me feel a lot better and you're right – screw them! And who sent this lovely word in that I had a blast with. XD Much luff to you! Enjoy:D

Inner Universe

_(F is for…)_

_Faisdodo_

"No. Absolutely not," the red haired Kazekage childishly crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared down at the chair that bore a set of rather colorful clothes. He didn't lift his head to look over at his wife who stood beside him, holding her own set of clothing over her arm carefully.

"It won't kill you."

A nasty glare was shot over at her, discreet and out of the corner of a single narrowed, black rimmed eye, "That's what you said about apples." Hinata cringed and had to agree with him; she hadn't known he was deathly allergic to apples when she'd cooked him those dumplings.

"That was uncalled for." She argued, knowing that their people expected this of their country's leaders and a still apologetic tone for nearly killing him.

"So is this," he looked pointedly down at the dress wear laid articulately over the chair. Hinata gave him a long stare and then looked down at the set of clothes. She fought a girlish giggle by chewing on her bottom lip.

"It's not that bad."

"Lying is bad karma," he muttered, glaring at her once more while her cheeks puffed out a bit from restraining her laughter as she inspected his colorful and gaudy uniform.

"Just try it. Right here, okay?" she compromised, adjusting her own heavy load of clothing.

Gaara stared down at it, "Laugh and I will suffocate you with a pillow." He snarled in an irritated manner before he stole up the clothes and went behind a tall paper screen.

Hinata allowed a small and unladylike snort to pass through her nose while she tinkered with a small golden threaded tassel end. She heard a shift of clothing and turned when she heard a voice speak out from behind her.

"This is unspeakably humiliating."

Hinata felt her eyes widen and her cheeks puff out. "N…No….It, it uh…It looks good, really good." Her nostrils flared and she felt moisture bead in her eyes while laughter gurgled in her throat.

His eyes narrowed and he opened to mouth to end her amusement at his expense with a sharp retort before the door opened, "Hey, Gaara, the cooks say they need another few dozen gallons of rum so they…can…" Kankurou stood in the doorway of his brother's room and stared at his redheaded Kazekage who looked murderous in his new getup. His dark green eyes blinked owlishly at his brother, and for a few awkward moments of staring, and Kankurou's mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish, he spoke, "I never knew you were like that." He sounded shocked and even a bit panicky.

Gaara stared at him, "Like what?" he snapped when Kankurou merely stared at him as though his little brother had an arm that came from his stomach and it was waving at him. Maybe that would've been better.

"…You never told us a lot so I didn't know you liked wearing…girl stuff…" he trailed off and stared at his brother while Hinata watched them, biting on her lip to keep from bursting into little tiny pieces at her husband's growing annoyance.

"Kankurou…" it sounded threatening, but his older brother didn't notice.

"Maybe that's why you were so pissy when you were younger or something, you didn't know to express yourself, and…and I…" he trailed off and turned his head to call over his shoulder, "TEMARI!"

"Kankurou if you don't shut up I will _kill_ you."

"TEMARI!"

"Kankurou," he hissed, gourd shaking and sand popping out though his brother only stepped into the room.

"What the hell Kankurou?" a woman's voice cut through them all and Gaara stopped glaring at his brother whose calves were currently covered with sand, to turn to his sister wide eyed. A tall blonde haired woman stared at before there was a snicker and snort and she covered her mouth with a tan hand. "Hey, Gaara"-

"Shut up Temari. Just shut up."

"But you look so pretty in it."

"I hate you. I hate all of you. Get out." He crossed his arms and the sand was pushing his siblings and his wife out of the door before pinching the skin between his eyes.

"Gaara," a muffled voice came from behind the now closed door, Hinata.

"What?" he sulked, glaring down at his costume.

"It starts at nine, okay?"

Gaara grunted and he heard a faint giggle, "Make sure you're there and you're ready to"-

"I _know_," he grumbled in irritation at the degradation.

He heard another giggle and it stopped; he knew she was gone from the door. He could feel a headache.

₪

Temari bowed before the clapping people of Sunagakure, the people who had gathered for her fan dance after Kankurou had done his 'dance of living dead' – him controlling puppets made of bone and fine horse hair. She grinned and looked out of the corner of her eye, only to not spot the Kazekage and his honorable wife not there. She frowned momentarily before disappearing in an impressive gale of wind.

The crowd cheered and chanted the native mantra while the drums rolled in a steady dancing beat.

Temari looked over at Kankurou, who she had landed next to and bit her lip; shaking her head. Kankurou cursed and kept his eyes peeled for his brother and his wife. Nothing.

Suddenly, from the steady beating of the drums, a sound emerged to which Temari's attuned ears recognized as the maraca. She smiled again and kept her eyes open. A black cloak flew up from the crowd and Hinata, dressed numerous shades of oranges, yellows and reds, and had appeared, shaking the twin gaudy maracas in her hands; keeping a complete rhythm. Her face was for the most part hidden by the makeup she'd been forced to wear for the annual festival. A single strip of red was touched to her bottom lip in a straight line, light gold dusted her cheeks and pale orange was added to her eyelids.

She kept a completely straight face while she skirted with light, silent feet across the sand, the tight uniform wrapped in numerous layers of light silk made a showy performance while she began to twirl slowly. Temari smirked briefly at her sister in law, but duly noted that Gaara was nowhere to be found. She leaned a free hand against her hip before she looked over at Kankurou.

He was staring at a man in a similarly dark cloak, "Temari."

"What?" she snipped, keeping her eyes open for her little redheaded brother.

"Look," before his sister could actually look over at the strange man with a hood over his head, Kankurou's face was attacked by the cloth and the man was nowhere to be found.

"Kankurou, look, look, there he is!" she said in a loud whisper excitedly, pointing to the middle of the crowd. Kankurou ripped the fabric from him and looked over at his little brother. He let out a loud, sarcastic snort, ignoring the nasty glares from numerous teenage girls. Unbelievable.

There, in a haughty, royal pose beside the carefully dancing and maraca wielding woman, stood the Kazekage in pointed and curled animal skin shoes painted a bright red and gold. A set of bottom pants billowed out at the leggings interlined in different patterns of red and gold, flashing in the firelights and lanterns. His shirt was tight and looked as though it belonged on a young boy rather than him (though many of the women didn't seem to mind) considering it stopped above his belly button with it long, flamboyant and silken sleeves that swayed like surreal wings whenever the wind brushed against the cloth. A golden hat in the shape of a pyramid sat atop his red hair, hanging bangles and red gems.

The woman clad in similar colors (though not as heavily decorated as her husband) danced forth, swaying calmly with the beat until it began to pick, shaking the maracas in front of his face before pouncing off. Gaara opened his eyes and followed the woman in a mighty leap, falling before her but was unfortunately much more weighed down than her; his clothes getting the better of him so he couldn't capture the maracas from her.

He heard the jewelry situated on his head jingle merrily and felt like ripping them off because he felt very _odd_ with them on.

Gaara's black ringed eyes closed (for all to see the light green eye shadow that had been applied to his eyelids and the now more noticeable dark teal stripes that flared from the end corners of his eyes) and he stopped movement; waiting.

His hand reached out but only caught a layer of spider web thin woven silk and Hinata raveled out of it, leaving in his hand only fabric. He muttered an unpleasant curse beneath his breath.

The crowd cheered wildly, while their weighed down Kazekage moved once in a while to catch the maracas.

"You know…" Kankurou began, tapping his chin with a finger, looking at their brother pointedly.

"What?" Temari asked, keeping her eyes on the last dance of the evening – at least until Gaara could capture the maracas.

"Gaara doesn't look too bad in that getup." Temari snorted in laughter, despite her redheaded brother glaring at the two of them; with his eye twitching when Hinata took a chance to rattle the maracas at the side of his face loudly before bouncing away before he could grab at her – momentarily too _irritated_ by his conspiring siblings to have noticed her earlier.

Gaara scowled at his wife and alternately glared at Temari and Kankurou, listening to the jewelry on his head tinkle with every slight movement.

Something rattled next to his ear and his hand shot out, grasping the smooth wooden bulb on the maraca. "I told you it wouldn't kill you." She murmured demurely, rattling the other maraca in time with the slowing beat of the drums.

"Hn…" Gaara grunted and scowled again when she let go of the maraca he was holding on to and flicked a bangle, making it shine and twirl. He could still hear the annoying maraca in Hinata's hand rattle in time with the beating drums.

The drum beat ended when Gaara threw the maraca over his shoulder and hit the drummer.

-

…I deserve to feel ridiculous once in a while I believe. XD WOOO!!! I'm probably gonna fail my Spanish test tomorrow so I decided I might as well get this out before I'm grounded. -.-

:P Liked it? Hated it? Tell me if ya like and send in your word for 'G is for…'

Thank you to


	7. Chapter 7

Inner Universe

_(G is for…)_

_Gauche_

He didn't sleep much, even though Shukaku had been extracted, but he liked watching others sleep. He used to watch over his sister when she came home from long missions and would collapse in a messy heap on the couch, until Kankurou woke (from some sort of alarm from a built in sister-tracking device) and dragged her to her own bed. Children of the servants usually fell asleep in places and unlike the adults, Gaara didn't wake them – merely left them be. If they fell asleep in awkward positions Gaara was sure would ail them later, his sand would move them into a more comfortable position and leave them there.

He'd watched one ninja fall asleep while seated straight up with her legs tucked beneath her. She hadn't woken when he crouched in front of her and only stared at her, eyes moving beneath her eyelids in some sort of dream. He hadn't woken her since she seemed comfortable in the position.

Her name was Hyuuga Hinata; one of the exchange ninja with Konoha (in return they got Temari who, to the irritation of her brother usually came back smelling like ramen) who was almost always silent. She moved silently, spoke softly and did everything without exaggeration while she helped him with his office documents and other small things.

Gaara, at this precise moment, looked down at the pale woman before him, kneeling but with her eyes closed and breathing calm and even – absolutely in a deep sleep. He crouched and stared at her face, seeing that she was peaceful as a blank slate of stone. Her brow crinkled and her eyes shot open – wide opalescent white eyes staring back at him with bright intensity. He didn't move back, but simply stared, despite their closeness.

"Y-Yes, Gaara-san?" she asked, quelling the urge to lean away from him since he was past the bubble boundary.

He was silent – grey green eyes ringed in black stared unblinkingly at her.

"What do you dream of?"

Hinata realized that there was more to this question, the Byakugan flowing through her veins could hear the silent murmur of, 'tell me, because I do not dream'. "…Things I'm worried about…people I hold dear to me…" she bit her lip as he leaned away, eyes never leaving her face.

He waited and Hinata went on, knowing he wanted to know more, "Being in love with a person I've never met, being chased by monsters," her brow crinkled. "Everything in my mind becomes exaggerated – all my thoughts are unclear…" she didn't want to say like everyone else's dreams.

"Love?" he mused quietly, eyes still on her while he said this.

Hinata wished she had the same amount of humility Gaara had – none – because her neck and face became warm. "Uh…yeah, past loves, present ones…future ones…" she murmured.

"You've loved?" he didn't sound teasing as Kiba or Kankurou would have, nor was he shocked like Naruto would have been; curious and factual.

"Yes," she murmured, eyes dropping to look down at her lap.

She said nothing more and figured it would drop, but the redheaded Kazekage pressed on, intrigued. "And?"

"It-it um didn't work out as planned," she commented delicately, not mentioning the hurt since she didn't have the heart to crush whatever positive emotions he built up over the years – feeling an oddly maternal protectiveness because of the newness of these feelings for Gaara.

"It hurt then." It was stated and not a question and before Hinata could think of a gentler to put it, she answered.

"Yes." It was blunt, short and Hinata inwardly winced from the tone - it probably should have been put much more gently.

He was silent and Hinata looked up from her lap to see his eyes distant, but still on her face, his eyes narrowed slightly so Hinata spoke again, "But it was the good time of hurt." From the blank stare Gaara now gave her, she continued, "It meant that I was able to feel something."

"It meant…" she looked at him and placed a gentle hand on his chest, over his steadily beating heart, "That there was something _there_." She smiled a bit, and Gaara's brows furrowed in confusion and frustration from the fact that he didn't quite comprehend the principal of the matter.

Hinata took her hand away and stood with a polite bow to leave the room.

When she left, Gaara placed his own hand up to his chest and wondered why it felt all…_warm_.

-

Aw…Gaara Hinata friendship. :P How weird. XD

As a side note, I felt like 'g' was the worst letter in the alphabet because it was hard to find something meaningful that could pertain to the two. I just felt like naming this chapter goat or something cause I was tired of looking. -.-

Thank you to, however, those brave enough to think of words for 'g' because that letter sucks – no offense if that's what your name begins with, but agh. I hate this one simply for the fact that I can. :/ I dunno if that's normal but, meh. Who the hell cares.

Thank you, _creynoso, Flyingphilosopher and taixonay_ for sending in words.

Send in your words for '_H is for_…'


	8. Chapter 8

Inner Universe

_(H is for…)_

_Hedonism_

Gaara looked down at lonesome roads and continued to walk, his white Kazekage robes having been abandoned for his more casual wear – burgundy and black. Konohagakure had held a meeting between the Rain, Sand and the Leaf to arrange trading negotiations. It had been over hours ago and the meeting was still unresolved, petty arguments being thrown between people much older than himself while they dribbled over themselves and tried to scrape whatever they could from other countries.

It was not raining, but it was cold, autumn having arrived in Konohagakure about a week ago. The red haired Kazekage ruffled his hair and felt an odd pulse off to his right; behind him. He turned and a short figure with dark hair and pale skin walked past him rather awkwardly. He looked at the person, feeling something eternally familiar about the feel of the chakra; like water sliding from a leaf in the morning or a calm lake. Whoever it was stopped before an apartment complex to dig something from their pocket while balancing groceries.

A carton of milk slipped out and so did a can of tomato sauce. Gaara moved and caught both of them, holding them up to the person before him without a word. Large, large pale eyes stared up at him, skin flushed despite the chill in the air and she bowed as best as she could.

"K-Kazekage-sama!" she bowed her head and Gaara grunted for her to rise, to which she did, still not meeting his gaze. "T-Thank y-you for um…" she pointed at the items in his hands, "milk and tomato…" she said.

He shook his head, hair ruffling with his movements before he held them out to her. She unlocked the door and took her groceries from him, "T-thank you." She looked behind her, never closing the door and looking down at her feet. "Um…would you…um…like some…tea?" she held up a tin of tea leaves. "A-as a th-thank you…" Gaara stared at her before nodding once.

She moved awkwardly from her place under the door frame, walking in a queer way. The redhead looked down and saw a bulge the size of a watermelon that overtook the actual size of her stomach. He blinked and stared at it, having never been this close to a pregnant woman before – they were too skittish around ninjas during their time. She smiled at him, bowed her head quickly and he walked into the small apartment before she closed the door.

"Have a s-seat," she gestured to a comfortable looking loveseat in the living room or the dining table with three chairs. Gaara nodded and looked at her back momentarily, noting with slight intrigue that despite the giant swollen jellybean she seemed to carry in her stomach; she moved quickly and quietly, not stumbling as he'd seen other pregnant women do.

One hand supported the small of her back, "Thank you a-again for helping me there…it's…a bit difficult to, uh, move around," she said, the hand that had been supporting her lower back smoothing over the side of her stomach. She smiled a bit, pouring water from a pitcher from the fridge into the kettle on the stove for it to boil. She reached into a cupboard and began pulling out jars of dry things; salt, flour, baking soda from what Gaara could smell. He nodded at her statement absently, seeing that her apartment was fairly clean – but not freakishly so.

"Where's your husband?" he asked, now recognizing her as some sort of Hyuuga descendant from her white eyes (knowing that white eyed bastard Neji who seemed to hold a grudge against him for no particular reason). She had poured in milk into a bowl but faltered momentarily when she had been about to crack an egg in the bowl.

Her smile wobbled, but didn't drop – she kept her profile to him while he sat at the dining table. She cracked the egg and turned to her second bowl. "I um…" she shifted on her feet while she busied herself with mixing flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl. "D-don't…have one…Kazekage-sama."

If Gaara was surprised, he didn't show it and only continued to watch her mix in her wet ingredients with her dry ones.

"W-would you um…like some tea b-biscuits?"

He nodded while she rolled out the dough, keeping her profile to him while never facing him.

Her stomach would occasionally bump into the counter.

§

Gaara sat atop a building in the chilled wind of autumn, recently coming from the home of the Hyuuga woman who had introduced herself as Hyuuga Hinata. She would talk around the biscuits in her mouth and sips of her tea. She wasn't much of a talker though; Gaara didn't say much and only stared at her stomach most of the time.

It bulged from her black shirt in a pumpkin shaped fashion.

"Gaara?" he heard his sister call to him from her place behind him.

"What is it Temari?" he asked his older sister, who was silent for a while.

"Where…did you disappear to after the meeting?" she asked, stepping up so she was standing beside him in the chilled wind.

"A woman had trouble with her groceries." He stated, as though that was the only answer to the question he could give her.

Temari was silent and Gaara was glad for it – he didn't understand it too much himself and decided to not look into it much at all. "There's a meeting tomorrow to discuss trading routes from the Rain to Suna."

Gaara cocked his head to listen, "Alright."

§

Gaara sat on the third corner of their discussion table in which the blonde haired Hokage woman continuously tipped back a flask into her mouth while she talked. The Rain's kage blabbered on insistently that the Sand shinobi retrieve their shipments rather than having the Rain ninja cross so many borders they were not friendly with.

"Hyounobu-sama, it is illogical for the Sand shinobi to travel twice the distance for our imports and your exports considering the time period in between them will not happen all at once and will thusly be a waste of time, and energy for my shinobi." Gaara said, darkly ringed eyes on his hand which rapidly rolled a pen between his two fingers.

Hyounobu stared at the young redheaded Kazekage, before attempting to make his beak of a mouth curl up gently in a reputing manner, "Gaara-sama, you must understand that the Rain is not of the best conditions to travel across…certain borders in time for your shipments of botany and medicinal plants to be reached in time before they wither away." His jewel cut eyes hissed of avarice; holding out the proverbial hand to Gaara.

Gaara remained unmoved, "Hyounobu-sama, I understand that while the crucial foliage you will be delivering to the Sand is exceedingly delicate and must be treated with utmost care; my shinobi cannot afford the continuous repetitive journeys." He saw Hyounobu's mouth begin to sneer in displeasure. "However, if there were anyway that the Sand and Rain could meet halfway then it would cut all time in half and transportation wouldn't be as tedious."

Hyounobu coughed into his hand; seeing that the money he had been mentally telling to the Kazekage for bribery was dwindling away bit by bit. "Gaara-sama, in no way should you find this offensive as your home is the desert, but the Sand shinobi would have no knowledge as to how to properly care for the plants and should they be damaged, they could blame it on our own carelessness." He folded aged hands. "Not in any barb to your shinobi, of course."

Gaara stared back at the old man momentarily, seeing that this was getting nowhere and that the meeting would have to be adjourned soon, replied, "Of course."

§

He met her again about two days later when he'd gone to the grocery store to hunt for ice cream, that pale and huge bellied woman plucking a carton of strawberry ice cream from the freezers, tucking it into her basket. She must have sensed him because there was a momentary pulse of energy in the air like a ripple in a pond from a stone. She looked over at him and her eyes widened, bowing her head a little in respect for him despite the awkwardness her belly caused her.

"K-Kazekage-sama!" she said a bit loudly in a high pitched squeaky sort of voice while she straightened herself and adjusted her basket. "What are…y-you um…doing here?" she asked, looking around her at random freezer stored foods.

Gaara blinked blankly in response and lifted a finger to point behind to the freezer behind her containing ice cream. She blinked owlishly and looked behind her, realizing she was blocking the way, "Ah! I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely and hurriedly while she scuttled to the side.

Gaara didn't figure she would stay there, but perhaps it was to be expected because it would have been rude to just run off, but he reached into the freezer anyway and pulled out a double chocolate caramel fudge brownie ice cream carton out. He tucked it under his arm and ignored the simple odd stares of passerby's who caught the label of the ice cream he had under his arm.

He looked over at the slightly fidgeting woman (with a giant belly that was like a magnet to his eyes, because women in her condition didn't dare let dangerous people near them much). Her mouth opened as though to say something but then, something must have happened. Her mouth curved into an 'o' shape and her eyes went wide, wide, wide. Wider than normal eyes should have been. She stumbled and dropped her ice cream, a blind hand flailed out and caught his jacket tightly.

Alarmed at the change in her, he looked down at her and noticed that expression from having seen it so much beforehand. Pain, unadulterated pain. _'From what?_' he mused silently. She was gasping and didn't seem able to breathe – pain in her eyes, her knuckles were white and her nails scraped over him – something was _wrong_.

She kept gasping but she wasn't on her legs anymore, slung over the Kazekage's arms while he leaned back from her weight and began carrying her quickly from the store to the hospital. People did double takes at what they had just witnessed.

"Was that the _Kazekage_?"

"…carrying a _Hyuuga_?"

"Did you see how _big_ she was?"

"I wonder what was wrong…"

"What the hell was that?"

Two containers of ice cream lay abandoned on the freezer isle; both slowly melting.

"_Clean up on aisle 5, Bobo_," came the voice over the intercom.

§

Gaara stood outside the room the doctor was doing a checkup on the Hyuuga girl (he'd forgotten her name once more); leaning against a wall, staring at the opposing wall with disinterested eyes.

It hadn't been a challenge to smuggle the Hyuuga in here, but the receptionist kept glancing at him beneath her long blonde bangs and kept asking weird questions in a weird tone of voice to which Gaara recognized as flirting. He'd glared at her and demanded a doctor immediately – it got her moving but startled all the same.

He'd also gotten questions if he was related to her, if he was her boyfriend, husband, or friend. He'd said no to all because he hadn't remembered anything but her surname. He'd gotten an odd look from the nurse, but that was all. The doctor seemed nervous having the Kazekage there, with his arms crossed over his chest in a superior manner when he had lowered the pained woman to the crisp sheets of a hospital bed.

He'd left the room after he'd told the doctor what had been wrong with her; what had happened.

His eyes never looked away from the wall as he listened to the soothing murmurs of the female doctor. Moments later, Hinata came stumbling out with a still slightly pained expression, a wobbly smile and an arm slung around her belly. He looked expectantly at the doctor, who coughed politely and pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, "It was just a cramp, she'll be fine."

The redhead nodded and looked back at the woman standing beside him. "T-thank you, Kazekage-sama," she said respectfully, going to bow as much as her bulge would allow.

Before she was able to, however, a hand shot out and pushed her shoulder up straight, forcing her spine to follow. "Don't bow when _that_ just happened to you," he said sternly, voice firm with her but his eyes on her stomach. Hinata knew the look; curiosity and awe at something foreign…alien.

The pale eyed woman bit her lip and nodded, apologizing to the Kazekage. "U-um…thank you again f-for um…c-carrying me," she smiled up at him, tipping her head generously at him. Gaara gave her a long look before looking at the doctor who was still lingering.

"What is it?" he said bluntly and rather suddenly.

The doctor, startled, answered quickly while she sputtered a bit, "Your…um, wife shouldn't strain herself, walk around too much or lift heavy items-"

"She's not my wife."

The doctor's brown doe eyes widened, "O-oh? I'm sorry, um then could you check miss…"

"I don't know her name."

The doctor blinked and Hinata opened her mouth, interrupting sincerely, "Hyuuga Hinata, ma'am." She murmured, looking straight at the doctor before her arm tightened about her stomach.

"Ah…could you check out at the front desk?"

Hinata nodded and the doctor turned on her heel to stride back to her room. "O-of course," here she cast a look beneath her lashes over at Gaara. "Thank you, again."

The redhead nodded once, curtly and watched her walk to the front desk with an awkward waddle in her walk, knees always a bit bent to help carry the weight.

§

A day later from his encounter with the Hyuuga woman, he was sitting in Tsunade's office with said woman and Hyounobu – a man who had much about him to dislike.

Hyounobu continued to talk to Tsunade about their shipments of silks that paid attention to the old man ogling her while he talked, but also to the redhead who stared out the window with a distant look.

He balanced a pen precariously on his index finger while he stared out into the rain, grey clouds rumbling gently.

"Hyounobu-sama, if you double your shipments of healings salves then Konoha will strike a deal and give you twice the original amount of previous silkworms from our last negotiation." Hyounobu scrunched his nose in displeasure but all the same nodded in agreement. Tsunade nodded, "I'll have Shizune write the document by tomorrow, until then, Hyounobu-sama." She bowed her head and stood as Hyounobu stood to leave, who tipped his head in return.

The door closed behind him and Tsunade's hazel cat eyes moved over to the Kazekage. "Gaara-san," she called to him and he blinked once, turning to her with a daze. "Gaara-san, you seem off today, care to share why?" she asked, pulling a small jug of sake from beneath the cherry wood desk.

His eyes never lowered but her blinked away from her to turn back to the window being pounded with rain drops. Tsunade studied his features carefully while she took a swing of her alcohol. "Women troubles, Gaara-san?" she had to remember he was barely twenty two and not as old as his eyes would at times seem.

He didn't reply but turned back to her, "The Hyuuga woman, she was pregnant and she had a strain of some sort at the grocery store. I took her to the hospital." Even though it should have been posed as a question, his statement was enough for Tsunade who'd only hear the words '_Hyuuga woman_' and '_pregnant_'.

Tsunade couldn't form words but the redhead was standing to leave anyway, "G-Gaara-san!" she called to him just he had reached the door. He turned to her. "You mean…Hyuuga _Hinata_?"

He stared blankly and Tsunade realized he hadn't remembered her name, but he nodded once. He blinked again before turning the knob and walking out just as Tsunade opened her mouth to ask another question.

The young redheaded Kazekage left behind silence and befuddlement in the room while the blonde Hokage continuously tipped more sake into her mouth.

§

He'd seen her walking back to her apartment merely moments after the meeting, waddling in that odd sort of grace she possessed. No matter how silent he was, she seemed to pick on him whenever he was nearby because she turned and her eyes darted from side to side, before she waved shyly. He nodded once, barely, and made to walk past her before she stepped down the wet stone stairs. "Kazekage-sama…" she began.

"Gaara."

She blinked once, twice and then nodded nervously, "Um…G-Gaara-san then, would you…like to join me for some tea?" the small rain drops spluttered from her mouth while her hair was plastered to her head. She didn't seem to mind as other people did, while he just plainly didn't care.

He stared at her before his eyes were once again drawn to the swell of skin. He nodded absently and he followed her to her apartment as she led them out of the rain.

He sat down once more at the dining table and stared at the white Formica table without interest. He could hear water being poured into the pitcher and kept an eye on her. She moved awkwardly while she plucked a tray of room temperature sponge cakes from the kitchen counter. The kettle boiled and the tea leaves were sprinkled in before the hot water followed.

She balanced the tea cups on the tray with the little cakes and placed them on the white table. She sat down slowly, steadily with one hand over her belly. Gaara pushed his tea cup to the Hyuuga woman and stared at her intently. Her eyebrows drew together in confusion then she made a sound of realization before picking the cup up and taking a sip from it.

She pushed it back to Gaara who accepted it without a word.

He was silent as she munched quietly on a little decorated cake.

Then, "Where is the father?" he asked suddenly.

She stopped eating and she turned to him with wide eyes, crumbs around her mouth in a neat little circular pattern. She gulped, hard, "P-Pardon?" she squeaked.

"The father; where is he?" he asked again, eyes never leaving hers while he demanded an answer.

She gnawed on her lower lip while her eyes dropped and she placed the cake on the tray; wringing her fingers. "He died on a mission." She said without a stutter, but a small little dark place in her eye flickered on and a mourning ghost howled.

Gaara was silent; she was a single mother and from the way she moved, she'd been a ninja up till this point of her life. Her knuckles cracked.

Gaara wanted to ask how; '_was he running away?_' or '_did he fight back?_' or '_had it really been a mission he'd died while traveling to, or something else?_'

He kept his silence and stared at the tea leaves in the bottom of his slightly green tinted tea.

The Hyuuga woman; Hinata, was silent but he heard her begin to eat again. A little voice in the back of his mind murmured that she was eating for two and providing for two; left in the dark.

"Why are you not living with the Hyuuga clan?" he interrupted the calm, awkward silence like a knife through butter.

She flinched as though shying away from the snapping jaws of a mutt, "The…Hyuuga c-clan does not wish f-for an…heiress whose lost h-her worth. Her um, dignity." Her eyes were kept low and her fingers curled in on her stomach.

Gaara turned from her, "Was he not of worthy stature?" he prodded. She shook her head slowly, disagreeing with it apparently but all the same – it was the Hyuuga clan. "Who was he then?"

"Um…a-ah…Inuzuka K-Kiba. We'd been teammates as um genin and chuunin." She twisted her fingers again.

Gaara nodded absently, listening to her cough into a white napkin.

He could smell blood on the napkin before she rose shakily to walk to the kitchen sink and wash her mouth.

§

Two days later and the contract between the Sand and Rain didn't yet make it; both of them still squabbling over different problems not only with their trading routes and exchanges but also future documentation for a possible pottery exchange with Suna.

Gaara had left the meeting with a glare to Hyounobu who was trying to short change Suna as much as he could. He looked up ahead to the ramen stand where a figure swathed in black clothes of an ANBU sat devouring ramen as though he'd never eaten in four days.

A mask carved into the face of a smiling fox sat next to him on the counter. The redhead approached the fox who looked up from his meal with a wide grin despite the ramen noodles that clung to the corner of his mouth. "Gaara! You old redheaded bastard, how've ya been?" Gaara nodded. "Che, I have to look after the gloomy bastard since he returned." Naruto's grin turned into a frown in an instant.

"He's not as hostile as he used to be Gaara, he's just quiet. That's all he does it train and stare at nothing."

Gaara didn't respond, watching his friend swirl his ramen noodles in their bowl in a gloomy sort of way.

"I heard from Hinata that ya helped her when she had that major cramp," he sent a fake grin at Gaara. "Beneath that stone and steel face ya got, you're a nice guy, ya know that Gaara?"

"Ne, ne, ne, Gaara!" his blonde friend nudged his side with an elbow, "Let's go to a bar and get drunk off our asses!"

Gaara listened to his friend whine about wanting liquor and by some odd whim, wanted a cup of tea.

§

This was more than likely a bad idea, this he realized that there was something wrong about seeking out a pregnant – very much so – recent widow. Temari's morals probably rubbed off on him during their years, without his noticing. The redheaded Kazekage stood before her apartment building when the town had dimmed during the evening and street lamps were illuminating with dull yellows.

He should back away, not knowing what unseen force had tugged his feet over the pavement and plopped him here in a standstill. He should back away; now, before someone noticed that he was standing before this old structure where that someone would probably know or guess that he was waiting for the young widow to open her door for him.

Being starved for years of human company and enjoying it to an extent, Gaara supposed, made him decidedly impatient for more contact with a stranger. His black rimmed eyes closed and he turned fluidly to leave not a trace of himself behind. He heard the door creak open and small, soft voice called out to him, "G-Gaara-san?"

Gaara stopped and turned back to her so that he was facing her. He tipped his head slightly in a response to the gentle greeting. "Hinata," he remembered her name this time.

She smiled, small and tiny, not wobbly and her eyes crinkled a bit. "Would you um…like to uh come in?" she stepped aside a bit as though to prove her inquiry.

Gaara opened his mouth to say no thank you and bid her goodbye but his feet were moving forward so instead his words twisted around to sound something like this, "Okay."

She giggled into an open palm and her cheeks dusted with fine red powder; as though finding his antics adorably awkward. He entered, squeezing past Hinata and her belly and the frame of her door. She closed the door behind him and shut off all the cold air. In the corner of the room, the heating unit was on and it felt like it was too.

Hinata, in response to the wet cold was clad in a thick robe, nightshirt and shorts, fuzzy socks adorned her feet. Gaara was used to the cold since the desert had chilled nights like a freezer – but it was a dry sort of cold; not the wet cold Konoha possessed. Hinata shuffled into the kitchen, calling from it in a still soft tone, "H-Have a seat."

Gaara pushed a cushion out of the way on the couch and sat without a word while he heard her tinker around in the kitchen and he heard the kettle whistle; boiled. She came back with a tray of treats (as always) and two cups with steam curling from them. She sat the tray down on the coffee table in front of them, bending awkwardly and as she rose, her hand pressed against the small of her back. Jelly rolls with sweet jam in their swirled centers lay in neat piles on the tray. Hinata handed him a cup.

Marshmallows bobbed in the chocolate which he'd already recognized as hot chocolate, something Temari gave him once and he never stopped drinking. She moved past him and sat down slowly as though it pained her, but she gave off no sign of it – it was just the weight. She picked her own cup up and inhaled deeply.

Her hand had already snatched a jelly roll, "What um brings you here, Gaara-san?" she asked before she bit off an edge of the roll.

Gaara looked down into his drink and answered her, "I don't know."

§

There was no meeting today but Tsunade had summoned him so he'd arrived in his formal wear nonetheless. The Hokage had a jug of sake at her side while she stood to greet him with a smile, "Gaara-san, I'm glad you came," she waved her hand, "Have a seat."

Gaara sat across the blonde woman who was more than twice his age. "Tsunade-san, why have you summoned me?"

Her smile never slipped as she poured sake into a cup she took from a drawer in her desk. Tipping the cup back into her mouth, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand and fixed catlike hazel eyes on the redhead. "I heard from Naruto that you took Hinata-chan to the hospital because she'd had a cramp." Gaara didn't nod or speak so she went on, "And there have been reports from some of my ninja that you've been seen going to her apartment building quite a few times." Her eyes narrowed and she leaned over the desk, "Why are you pursing a pregnant _widow_, Gaara-san?" she hissed, venom in her voice.

Gaara stared back at her in confusion; bewilderment, "I'm not pursuing her, Tsunade-san."

The woman before him frowned, disagreeing with him apparently, "Then, pray tell, are you doing?"

Gaara's brow line crinkled in thought – thinking it through. It was a good question he himself had pondered on a few occasions while drinking her tea, eating with her and holding small conversations. "I…don't know."

Tsunade leaned back; unsatisfied with the reply he'd given her but all the same seeing nothing but truth in Gaara's eyes. "What is she to you, Gaara-san?" she asked suddenly, eyes studying him and Gaara felt irritation turn in his gut at the thought of the Hokage giving him such a look.

The redhead stared back at her, however, without the slightest indication at the annoyance he was feeling inwardly, "I don't know, Tsunade-san."

Tsunade watched as the Kazekage stood, he tipped his head in a goodbye sort of gesture before walking out of the room. The blonde Hokage's cheek leaned into her palm, wondering what exactly was to come of all this.

§

Some things in life, Gaara knew well, would build up like a sort of mold over time before anything happened. Other things popped out of the blue and came at you as a pleasant or unpleasant surprise. The 'something' had not snuck up on him, but also not built up over time. It had charged at him, in the force of a blonde ANBU with his fox mask flipped back.

Naruto pounced on Gaara straight on, grabbing at his forearms in his unadulterated excitement, "Gaara! Gaara, Gaara, Gaara!" he shook the bewildered and slightly freaked out redheaded Kazekage, "I'm gonna be an uncle!" he smiled and his fangs glinted. Gaara blinked, "They said Hinata-chan's kid is due any day now!" he laughed joyously and Gaara saw tears in Naruto's eyes. The blonde took his hands from harassing his friend who only blinked down at him and sniffled, wiping at his eyes. "I'm gonna be a part of a family, Gaara." He smiled and his blue eyes twinkled.

"You're not related to her," Gaara pointed out bluntly.

Naruto snorted and thumbed at his nose, "Hinata-chan says it doesn't matter – I'm a part of her family and I'm an uncle!" he spread his arms and laughed.

"Soon to be uncle."

Naruto grinned again before heading off Tsunade's office, where Gaara had just come from.

§

His fingers wrapped on the proffered cup and he felt the heat seep through. Steam from the tea rose up and he could smell jasmine kissing his face. Hinata looked uncomfortable, not reaching for any of the sweets she'd laid out, instead shifting restlessly on her chair. She'd rearranged her living area so that it was completely different.

He looked over at her when she shifted again, "What um brings you here, Gaara-san?" she asked with an evident strain of anxiousness in her voice. He blinked at her and in response to the woman's restlessness, his body tensed.

He shrugged mildly and she didn't question it, instead staring into her cup before going still as if freezing water had been dumped over her head. He stared at her face; her mouth parted slightly and eyes wide. He heard a vague dripping sound. His eyes trailed down and his black rimmed eyes widened at the translucent liquid that dripped from between her thighs and down the chair – his first thought being blank while his mind squandered the thought that she had lost control of her bladder.

"G-Gaara-san!" she cried out suddenly, sounding hoarse and rather loud for the quiet little person he'd become accustomed to. She reached out a hand and caught the hem of his shirt sleeve, "M-my water broke!"

'_I can see that_,' he stared down at her and wondered what the hell was going on. Then, by whim, she tugged on the hem so viciously he heard it rip. "T-Take me to the h-hospital!" her arm went around her belly and her legs shook with exertion of trying to drag herself up. "The baby," she gasped.

Gaara stared at her in sudden comprehension, eyes wide and a sudden look something akin to a grimace settled on his features. '_Ah,_' one arm curled about under her arm pits while his other arm stooped low to catch her beneath her knees. He nearly staggered with the sudden weight addition but nonetheless was moving quick, curtain billowing after him when he went out the open window and dashed down the street to the hospital. Passers did double takes after the red streak that flew past them, thinking it was a cardinal or something.

The doors to the hospital flung open when Gaara pushed them open with his shoulder and he bolted to the front desk, glaring at the same receptionist he had had to deal with last time. She opened her mouth, "She's having a baby," she stared at him, "_Now._" He added as an afterthought.

The receptionist called into her little microphone to some doctor or other while two nurses shuffled over with a stretcher and took the currently gasping Hyuuga from the Kazekage. He looked down the hall when a third nurse popped up, "You're the father right? Come on," he didn't have time to answer before the nurse was leading him down the hall after them – suddenly hearing a scream. He must have looked slightly alarmed because the nurse turned back to smile at him reassuringly, "Don't worry; I guess she's going to have a quick birth."

The nurse stopped at a door, pointed inside with her smile still on before darting off when another doctor hollered for her.

Gaara stepped in almost hesitantly – the room smelled of body fluids and blood. A doctor with a mask and gloves on was before the Hyuuga woman and urging her to push. Her small fists were clenched harshly and he stepped a bit closer to see what was going on. Something sweaty and hot gripped his hand, by the time he looked down Hinata's hand tightened and Gaara heard and felt a few bones in his hand pop. Her head tossed from side to side and her face was going red, sweat beading.

Her grip tightened and Gaara withheld a small wince from the pain.

"Miss Hyuuga, push harder its crowning," the doctor urged, moving his hands beneath the sheet draped over her.

She screamed again and another bone in Gaara's hand popped painfully.

There was a sickly wet slurping sound before the doctor almost proudly brandished the already shrieking child. "It's a boy!" he declared, the nurse wiping the child down with a towel and then wrapping him in it before shoving it to Gaara.

The Kazekage held the screaming bundle from his chest at arm's length and stared at it. Patches of reddened skin and olive spots dotted here and there, tiny curled in fingers and a scrunched face with a toothless, gaping mouth – Gaara concluded that this had to be the ugliest child he'd ever laid eyes on. Either that or they would only look better until much later after their birth.

He looked over at Hinata who had whispered for him, holding out shaky arms to hold the child. In a blink of an eye she was holding her spawn and Gaara stood a good four feet from them, observing with his arms crossed. Her nose bopped her boy's and he let out a loud laugh, screechy.

"Gaara-san…" her voice came out tired. "I never thought of a name for a boy beforehand…"

He stared at her then at her child briefly which looked over at him while Hinata's head supported his neck delicately, letting out another screech at the sight of him. "Masa."

Hinata blinked and repeated the name sleepily, "Masa…"

Footsteps came from the hall and Gaara didn't have to turn to know who it was that barged into the room, with the voices of various nurses yelling at him angrily. Bright blue eyes landed on Hinata and he swallowed hard, "Hinata, is it a boy or a girl?"

Hinata didn't answer, her eyes already drooping from exhaustion, but the man beside him spoke up for her, "Boy."

Naruto turned to Gaara, eyes squinting while he took a quick overview of the Kazekage. "What happened to your hand?" he eyed the red crescents and the purple and blue blotches on the redhead's hand.

Gaara looked at his hyperactive friend out of the corner of his eye, "Have you ever watched a woman give birth?"

Naruto scrunched his nose at Gaara, "No."

"Then don't ask."

§

Shizune stared at her Hokage, "What?"

Tsunade shrugged a shoulder and took a sip of the tea her assistant had prepared for her – grimacing at the bitterness of it. "Yup."

"You're joking."

"Nope."

"Tsunade, do you realize how this could impact her!? She's a pregnant widow"-

"Shizune, do you realize he's showing interest for the **first time**…no matter how _weird_ it comes out?"

Shizune didn't answer but plopped into the chair in front of her Hokage, "So what sort of mastermind plan do you have in store?"

Tsunade shrugged, "It's none of my business just like it's none of your business to shoo him away from her, nature will take its course someday." She said sagely, sipping discreetly on her tea.

Shizune stared at her Hokage wide eyed before her gaze narrowed, "That's why you've been excusing the meetings so early ever since you caught wind of this. It corresponded to her work schedule!" she hissed.

Tsunade waved a vague hand, "Don't be so paranoid, why would I do that?"

Shizune glared at her Hokage nastily before her expression melted into a serenely smiling feature, "Because you care more than you should."

Tsunade stared at her assistant over her cup of lukewarm tea, before smirking, "Not a chance."

-

I wrote this without a title at first and it was so effing hard to find an 'h' word that fit. Damn you English language! I just felt like slapping the name _halitosis_ on this and hoping no one would notice. XD

_Masa_ – good and straightforward

Thank you to _TSOH, Dark Hope Assassin, AlexiaWinters, taixonay_ and _creynoso_ for sending in their words for H!

If people haven't run away already due to the crappiness of this (character abuse, bad plot, cliche, blah, blah, blah it just sucked all around), please send in your words for _'I is for..._'


	9. Chapter 9

_Dedicated to _taixonay _and _3DPixeldust_ for both sending this and other words in, hope ya'll enjoy. :D_

Inner Universe

_(I is for…)_

_Idiosyncrasy_

Konohagakure had different customs from Suna, and different people. It was one of the many reasons Gaara had left Sunagakure and came here, where he stayed and basked in the unique quality of Konoha. Tsunade had easily allowed him within the breach of Konoha's walls and told him that he should stay with a friend until he was more used to Konoha.

She wasn't home yet.

Approximately seven years before, once upon a not so long time ago, there had been a boy with a hate for everyone around him because it was all he'd ever known. In a land not so far away from this boy, there was a girl struggling to keep up with expectations. Not long from then they met and said boy nearly killed said girl. Said girl defied natural order by surviving in the Chuunin exams and getting up, falling, getting up again and fighting for all she was worth.

A year from that, he had helped to rescue her comrades from the Sound shinobi. A week after that she had presented him with a bow and a basket of food that she tested before his eyes.

Six months from that her team had been sent to drop off an important note from Tsunade. During their four day stay, the boy sat with her through the night when she'd accidently climbed to his roof to watch the moon. He'd let her stay.

At sixteen, he'd presented with an opportunity – become part of the shinobi exchange that Sunagakure and Konohagakure were going to start soon. He did, and by hap the first person her came across was a girl who defied the natural order of things, and by coincidence she was living alone in an apartment. By Tsunade's inquiry and plea, the girl had allowed him to stay with her until he could get on his own feet in this new place.

He was on his feet and could get around on his own, but he never left.

Gaara looked across the room to his gourd where he heard an almost silent mumble, _I swear Gaara that woman doesn't know how to tell time_.

'That woman' being Hyuuga Hinata – he wasn't really quite sure what people could label them as; friends, lovers, roommates…. When he'd asked Hinata she had only stared at him with a small gaze and said, _"Does it really matter?_"

She'd gotten rid of her stutter for the most part, but her voice was still so soft. _She's late_.

Gaara closed his eyes, '_I know_.'

There was click at the door and it swung open slowly, creaking with each inch it opened. Drip…drip…drip…

Gaara's nose was already flared and he heard the ever present voice purr, _I spy with my little eye a little splotch of red_…

Hinata entered with her head down and swaggering from side to side with each dead step she took. Her shoulder length hair hung down in matted tangles, arms spotted with blood drippings and her fingers were caked in the substance. She leaned against a wall and slid down – red smears following her while she drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her knees.

Her shoulders bounced and he heard a noise escape from her throat only once, and parted from the coppery metallic scent, there was a touch of despair and salt water. A thin tendril of sand shut the still partially open door quietly.

The redhead stood and approached her, towering over her and casting a shadow over her trembling form in the dim light. His fingertips touched her shoulder before her crouched down in front of her to listen to her psychobabble.

"He…he…he…was a little…I had to…but…I didn't want to…" she kept hiccupping and covered her face with hands. Gaara kept silent, not going to tell her that this was life of a shinobi – he'd had assassins from his father after him. A wet hand touched his cheek and fingers cupped behind his ear. "He…he…" she couldn't breathe properly, "He called me his b-big sister," she hiccupped again.

Gaara didn't say anything that would comfort her because it would've been cruel to tell her the truth and a lie to say otherwise. He was silent and didn't say anything when her slimy hair was in his face and red covered hands were on his clothes. _There's a natural order to everything, my dear_, he heard Shukaku hiss sarcastically.

Gaara let her cry on him and saw the sand that accumulated beneath her, rising to scrub the blood from her. _You, out of all things and everyone else, just happen to be an exception_. The sand ran fingers through her hair and if she cared, Hinata didn't let it show. _How you'd survive without leeching is beyond me_, he grumbled but the sand scoured her hair dryly.

She clung to him, but the redhead said nothing and only stayed beside her closely. He let her cling to him and listened to her cry for people she didn't really know. It was all the same; if there had to be people like him, there had to be people like her.

It was only the natural order of things.

-

O.O That was pointless as all hell. I didn't like it personally, a three out of ten maybe, but that's pushing it. Anyway, tell me if you liked it, what you liked or didn't like about it, kay?

Thank you to _Flyingphilosopher, TSOH, Wolfgirl21, Didi74_ and _AlexiaWinters_ for sending in your words. :D

Send in your words for '_J is for_…' and I'll see ya'll next time…figuratively…


	10. Chapter 10

For _Honeybadger_ who sent _juxtaposition_ in!

Inner Universe

_(J is for…) _

_Juxtapose _

Happiness; it was like some sort of sickeningly disgusting disease that he couldn't catch. It was in the air he breathed and no matter how much he breathed in deeply, that virus he wanted wouldn't infect his body. He watched couples, friends and family members stroll down the streets of his country, watched them hold hands, kiss, laugh and smile.

It looked so natural. It was aesthetic to him, for this was something he'd never been introduced properly to.

He was the youngest Kazekage of Sunagakure; he had protected his people with his life once already, died for them even. He protected they who were happy…while everything was the same. With Shukaku gone from him, the all consuming desire to spill blood was lost and now there was this void where once Shukaku had destroyed his life, and also given him some sort place amongst this normalcy people naturally possessed.

He watched, observed and tried to learn. It was hard to properly communicate to people except Naruto, hard to form proper syllables to make an easy, smooth conversation without having people freeze up and run from him.

All he _could_ do, he realized after too many failed trials of having a conversation, some small talk maybe, was observe.

He was the only one standing in the stadiums, the only one in the audience who was watching the rest of the world spin on smiles, laughter and happy things. He watched, alone in the stands while everything was happening in the arena below, no on noticing him.

He only talked to the different Kages from their villages, for trades, future truces, possible alliances. The rest of the time, there was silence. Aside from talking with his siblings, he was outside looking in at the rest of the world. He was the kid who saw a giant gingerbread house, decorated with frosting and leaned against the thick glass, pressing his nose against it and breathing on it.

Gaara leaned his head onto his hand, propping it up while he watched the people below his office building pass through, murmuring of movies and new bestselling books. He watched, and heard the door creak open, the chair in front of his desk squeak from added weight.

He turned silently, eyes coming to rest on the ninja with her back straight, "Kazekage-sama," she began.

"Gaara."

She blinked, startled before nodding slowly, "G-Gaara then, um, the hospital is secure and the virus has been contained." Tsunade had informed Sakura, Ino and herself to travel to Sunagakure to help their doctors contain an outbreak of influenza, normal to people from Konoha, but with the desert's temperament was deadly to the children who had caught it.

Gaara nodded and weaved his fingers through each other, staring at Hinata whose fingers unconscious began tugging at the fabric of the chair.

She couldn't look him in the eye, Naruto, Tsunade, Sakura and even Ino who met up with him a few times said he was different; he'd changed for the better. She couldn't meet his eyes, looking instead at the desk and at his elbows. All she could keep seeing was this short boy with red hair killing three Rain nin in a dense forest without blinking an eye.

There was silence and Hinata's nerves began to fray. "Am I that horrible to be around?" Hinata's eyes widened, not hearing a snide remark or an emotionless tease. It was rather blank, but some sort of injury had been prodded at; hurt.

"P-Pardon?" she asked, biting into her lip.

"You've been shaking and you won't look me in the eye," he paused, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Hyuuga."

Hinata winced, guilt gnawed at her insides, a cheeky little thing that grinned up at her – '_Ain't that the saddest little statement ya ever heard?_'

He didn't sound evil. He didn't sound like a fierce Kazekage. He sounded nothing like Hinata pictured him sounding like. Silence and then she heard the chair move, an arm bump the desk. "You can leave."

Hinata raised her eyes to see that he wasn't towering over her, instead he was in front of the window, looking down into the street. He sounded nothing like she had pictured him sounding like. He sounded lonesome; like the last kid left in the playground after everyone went home.

"U-Um, Gaara," she started, but received no movement from him, "Would you like to uh, get to know each other?" she smiled nervously and hoped he didn't think she was trying it as some demented sort of come on.

He turned to face her, "Over s-some um, coffee?" saying that she stared squarely at the black rings around his eyes and thought better of it, "Or you know…some…t-tea?"

"Why?"

Hinata looked away and fidgeted, "Do you feel sorry for me, Hyuuga?"

_Yes_ Hinata thought, but didn't say, still continuing to fidget. "N-Naruto…he told me that you weren't, you know…the same. I…didn't believe him," she glanced up quickly, a blank face as though he had anticipated this. "But…I, I…" she trailed off and knew that she'd dug her own grave.

After she trailed off, she didn't try to continue, having already destroyed whatever courage she had gathered. "I don't want sympathy, Hyuuga."

Her hands clenched, there it was again. The slim amount of hurt in his voice, the huskiness of his throat that gave away that he didn't want her company out of pity – it fed her guilt again.

"My name is H-Hinata."

She lifted her head and didn't try to paste a smile on her face, "I don't…want t-to pity you either, Gaara, so…um…i-in order to…to…not do that, I, I think we should h-have s-some tea or…some…thing…" _Please don't think I sound like a ninny and just take the offer! _Her fingers crossed and her head dropped again.

Footsteps, closer, a shadow cast over her. She looked up and was so startled to find that a hand was outstretched to her that she jumped back.

The hand stayed there, fingers curled slightly and Hinata looked up, past the arm covered by a white robe, to a face of a mature person with black ringed eyes. If she stared hard enough, she could see a little boy with a worried pout and the largest eyes she'd ever seen on a child.

Gaara was retracting his hand but Hinata grabbed it with lightning speed and clutched on tightly. Her face flared an alarmingly red cooked lobster color and she was sure that people in Konoha could hear her heartbeat. Gaara looked down at their hands and stared for a bit before nodding once and pulling her up with ease.

"So…where…do you want to go?"

Gaara blinked and cocked his head, "Let's just take a walk."

Hinata stared at him and then looked down at their hands before tugging hers from his, careful not to seem panicky or desperate to have her hand back. Her neck felt like it was being cooked. She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to rid herself of her blush, "That um, sounds good."

He opened the door and she went out first, both walking down the hall and descending from the stairs. They were out in the streets when the sun was low, casting a hazy orange across the sands and buildings. Hinata walked slowly, at an easy pace and Gaara moved at a leisure pace.

No talk was exchanged. Occasionally, her shoulder would bump into his arm, and Gaara thought of the conversations he wanted to have. The small talk that seemed frivolous to people was like some sort of unreachable little star in the sky. Gaara looked over at the small person on his left, walking beside him.

"Hinata," Hinata turned to him silently, "How do you like the weather here?"

There was a moment of silence and Hinata realized how awkward it must be for him. a little part of her murmured, '_What do you expect from the loneliest guy on the planet?_'

"…It's a nice change."

Gaara nodded in acceptance at the answer, "You…You should come to Konoha, you know. I could…show you around." He looked over at her; she looked up shyly, red on her pale face again.

He nodded again, slowly, "I think…that I would like that."

She smiled at him.

And so, they talked.

-

It's not late…I haven't been lazy…-is lying- But! I did a get a job with Avon. Huzzah, I posted yet another Gaara/Hinata friendship fic (even if it was crappy, a letdown and pretty much...sucky...)!

Thank you to those who sent your words in: _TSOH, creynoso, AlexiaWinters, cherry blossom rain, Beyond the Smeared Blood _and _Atliskflower_. To others, please send in your words, no using a dictionary is not against the rules, after all, the word just has to be something not commonly used and please write the definitions as well!

Anyway, a few people requested that the definitions be put up. So, here they are:

_Abattoir_ – a slaughterhouse

_Bodhisattva_ – an enlightened person

_Cicatrix_ – a scar

_Diadem _– sign of royalty such as a scepter or something else

_Emollient_ – kind

_Faisdodo_ – a sort of dance; a country dance

_Gauche_ – lacking in social skills

_Hedonism _– pursuit of one's own happiness or pleasure

_Idiosyncrasy_ – a personal mannerism

_Juxtapose _– to put side by side

Have a nice day folks!


	11. Chapter 11

_Kaffee-klatsch_

(informal gathering)

**Unsuitable for minors**. **MA+16**

Cover your eyes over the icky parts.

And yes. I am alive and so is this.

…

Hinata is considered an old maid in her family now, in her mid twenties and feeling like she's forty, and above all, unmarried. She has been, fortunate or unfortunate as it may, around because of her duty – politicians, enemies and victims alike all blended together in a mush of faces she doesn't remember.

Being that, she knows when someone wants something.

On an ambassador's mission, on a break from the sudden outburst of A-class and S-class missions Konoha's shinobi had been receiving as of late, she meets the Kazekage. He's still the stoic, hiding and outcast redhead she'd remembers from the Forest of Death, but he is different too.

Softer around the edges and his black rings are less noticeable; still prominent of course but less so. He doesn't smile, but makes himself seem less intimidating to her; curling on his aura to make himself seem smaller to her like an animal would. Their trade talks are boring and the only thing not boring is that his voice (deep, almost monotone and iron-like) has her itching in an unmentionable way midway through their conversations.

She hides it, like a good kunoichi and continues to talk amiably, but politely so. Gaara leans in somewhere in their conversation and doesn't retreat. It almost has Hinata raising her brows but she doesn't and allows it. They drink tea, talk about Naruto quite a bit in between the lulls of bartering and Gaara gets slightly closer.

He does well at hiding it, but she's a Hyuuga and sees past it easily. She can see it in his eyes, and the subtleties of his gestures. She may be interested or intrigued at the least but she won't act upon it as she has no idea of repercussions it would bring since it wasn't a mission and something of a personal choice. She'd rather not deal with it.

He seems to be a mass of unspent energy, and being who he is, has probably kept it locked up for a while. She could let their tension melt away, build it or ignore it. She can't remember the last time she went on a date and didn't just fuck someone for a mission.

She looks up under her eyelashes. He's made his move, now he's waiting for her. His nostrils are slightly flared as though he can smell her and what he's done, and despite the lazy look they have about them, his eyes are entirely focused on her.

Hinata doesn't have to be such a perfect shadow anymore. She isn't the heir and no longer is a true 'Hyuuga' by definition so she could if she wanted to.

Her tea is cold by now, and the Kazekage leans in to ask her to dinner. Hinata smiles politely and says no, but that the trip has tired her.

It doesn't matter if she wants to stay for his proffered dinner; she can't deal with personal closeness anymore.

Gaara keeps his distance the next five days and seems to observe her actions; which has her on edge for the rest of her stay.

On the sixth day, the contract is signed with many compromises from both sides; he presses his cheek to hers in a Suna traditional way of a polite good bye. He lingers longer than should have been proper. She lets him and then leaves.

She doesn't take a Suna ambassador's job again.

…

The next time they meet, Hinata is incidentally dying in a war and the Kazekage seemingly saves her. The battle scene is a macabre horror and Hinata's left side it slashed from a giant, jagged sword edge. She can't walk because she lost too much blood already and so she is carried by the Kazekage who is stronger than he appears.

In the medical tent, he stays and watches for a few minutes to ensure that yes, she will survive, before he rushes back into the fray all covered in sand and gore. Sakura, who was the medic nin on the clock and who treated her smiles slyly. She tells Hinata to sleep for the rest of the night to make sure there aren't any unseen complications.

She does, and in the battle when there is a small slow she feels another presence in the middle of the night that is non-threatening but nonetheless there by her bedside. Hinata doesn't have to turn to see who it is.

The war is over quicker than expected, but in the end of it, the Kazekage once again came to her rescue, crushing the other shinobi with not his sand, which is deflecting attacks from another enemy. He crushes her opponent with his hand, his skull cracked open from the savage brute strength the lithe Kazekage has.

Hinata passes out when her heart does its old pastime of stop-stutter from her prelim exam match against Neji.

She's in the medical tent again, and the redheaded Kazekage, covered in blood that's not all his, and sand and dirt and sweat, is there with her. He tells her it is the third time he's saved her life. Hinata corrects him, saying it's the second.

He says that pouring chakra into her palpitating heart and calming it from exploding counts as the third time. Hinata retorts that it doesn't even though she knows better but won't say otherwise because someone saving your life the third time is not a charm. It is a quiet blackmail.

Kurenai taught her this, even in her Academy days, and Hinata still remembers it now looking up at him. He no longer attempts to make himself seem small though she wishes he would.

Whether it's entirely of her own consent or her cleaning her full slate; Gaara benefits from it when she heals up and takes him to a secluded area.

The aftermath is sweat, fatigue, a kind of absolute relief and satiation, grass in her hair, in her teeth and bite marks because apparently Gaara is savage in everything he does. After he dresses and seems to ignore her existence, he asks her out to dinner again.

She says no again with much less meaning than the first time.

He doesn't say anything except ordering her to get dressed so she can go back.

…

Everyone around her is married or dating and she's still alone in that cold apartment eating leftovers and feeding random neighborhood cats. Hinata resents their happiness a little only because she didn't adapt well after becoming a kunoichi and using the talents that come naturally to them. It warped her a little.

The Fire Festival is around the corner and she dresses in her festive kimono. It's got blue and yellow pinwheels with a bright red background. The Hyuuga flame symbols on her sleeves and she slips on wooden geta shoes. They're old fashioned, but she is the most comfortable in attire like this.

When she gets there, someone has someone else on their arm and she's got rice candy hidden in a fold of her kimono to cope with this. She slips it in and someone behind her says this event is depressing and tiring. She doesn't have to turn to see who it is.

She silently offers him rice candy because she knows he's here alone and on business, just like she is but she actually came here to play games and get free comfort food. He chews the candy and comments he doesn't like sweets. She doesn't do anything until he leans in and says he likes salty things.

Her face pinks a little and she excuses herself from flirting back to go play games. He invites himself along and he ends up winning a precision game. He gives the prize little doll to her.

Somehow, Hinata blocks the 'how' memory out, they're up against an alley wall and they're still in public. He's near silent and Hinata bleeds from biting her tongue too much.

The festival continues on merrily around them.

…

Apparently, Naruto and Tsunade caught them or someone told on them. She is lectured for it, and apologizes while Naruto looks at her with awe and disbelief. Tsunade asks if they used protection and if she had a good time.

Hinata's too stunned by the questions to answer them when the door opens to reveal the Kazekage, in all his white robed glory.

He addresses Tsunade formally about continuing their business concerning what to do with the Rain's propositions about foreign exchange students and ignores Hinata's presence. This is why she doesn't like personal closeness.

Hinata excuses herself and glides to the door quickly to hide her disappointment.

A voice asks her to dinner.

She turns to see the Kazekage, looking at her and now ignoring Naruto whooping in the background and Tsunade's surprised face.

She nods, acquiescing and now not disappointed at all. She feels a little like a teenager with a crush again.

He says he'll pick her up by seven and to dress casually.

…

When they do go to dinner, and joke around and move slyly, coyly a bit around each other. After dinner, they end up at her apartment and she once again decides while pressed against the wall face-first that Gaara is savage in everything he does.

She doesn't seem to mind much.

…

…Not for minors did I mention? XD

Anyway, thank you for the reviews and suggestions, I was going to use kismet, but then it came out like this and unfortunately it didn't really fit, so I thought of an ironic one. XD Wooo OOC and laid!Gaara and jaded!Hinata. Ugh I butchered them.


	12. Chapter 12

_(L is for…)_

_Loquacious_

(very talkative)

**MA+16** because I feel like it.

A kind-of-continuation to chapter 10 and quite silly too.

…

Sakura and Ino have always been best friends, and rivals in almost everything when it came to Sasuke. Not incidentally, as they grew older, they came together and became true friends then rivals after Sasuke was no longer a shining beacon but rather a disillusioned and maddened traitor.

It is no oddity that they now share secrets of every sort, help each other pick out dresses, critique the other's make up and give each other manicures on late nights when they don't have missions.

One of the secrets they share is Hinata-gossip. She used to be so sweet and she used to adore Naruto just like they had adored Sasuke. Hinata became a kunoichi and maybe because she didn't have anyone else's shoulder to cry on for comfort or she couldn't ask anyone else to sympathize with when she had her first real kunoichi mission, she became…a different Hinata. This Hinata is still polite, gentle to a fault and still quiet but she isn't that caring anymore.

Ino says that Hinata hadn't gotten snobby; she just closed herself off just like every other Hyuuga has ever done when they encounter something wrong with them and don't know how to deal with it. Sakura can believe that much, after all, look at what had happened to Neji in his belief of destiny until Naruto shattered it.

The medic nin pities Hinata because she doesn't have female friends and she isn't in touch with her sensei anymore. Hinata dealt with it like any other Hyuuga.

She doesn't have a boyfriend, or a fiancé and she's one of the few but rather frequent kunoichi to be called on upon for a 'girl's only mission'. Sakura once asked Tsunade why that was and Tsunade replied that some kunoichi could take to it better than others.

So really, during the Fire Festival where she wore a delicate pink and white kimono while eating dango with Kiba, she hadn't expected Hinata to be there with someone. It had been the Kazekage, who gave her a little porcelain girl doll and had afterwards leaned in to murmur something in her ear. Sakura choked on her dango when Hinata seemingly pranced away into a large crowd, as if challenging him to follow and he _did_.

She knew the Kazekage had shown a little interest but Sakura hadn't realized it had escalated!

Sakura, now wrenching on Kiba's casual jacket hisses to him, "Did you see that?!"

Kiba digs a finger in his ear, "See what?"

She waves a vague hand in the direction Hinata and the Kazekage had gone off in. "That, all of that!"

Kiba blinks slowly and raises a brow.

Sakura snarls at him and takes off after the couple, dragging her protesting boyfriend along for the ride. "What're you doing you crazy broad?!"

"Shut up! Something monumental is going to" – Sakura cuts herself off mid sentence to hear the whoosh of silk, in a secluded area where there aren't games or prizes or food stands. She stiffened and if she heard it, she knows Kiba heard it.

He looks down at her. "Why are we here?"

Sakura looks him in the eye, "Hinata and the Kazekage ran away to make out."

Kiba's eyes widen, "No way."

"Way," Sakura says and jerks her head to the alleyway she's suddenly too embarrassed to go near. "There's proof."

Kiba cocks his head and Sakura thought it was confusion until she saw the dawning mixture of mirth and shock. "They're not making out."

Sakura cocks her head in confusion now. "Huh?" Kiba answers by pushing her quietly towards the crime scene and Sakura goes red-red when she catches sight of them in the dim lighting under the festive lanterns. "OhmygoodGod," she said in one breath, one word.

Kiba, grinning and snickering now, looks over Sakura's shoulder to whistle quietly. "They work fast don't they?"

The couple they're spying on isn't actually copulating yet, but they can only see Hinata's face and upper body for the most part whereas Gaara is busy between her legs. "OhmygoodGod," Sakura says again but apparently she can't look away.

It was strange.

Gaara was one of the most restrained individuals she'd ever met, save for his bloodlust that followed him even after Shukaku was removed, and he was doing-doing that! With Hinata of all people, who by the way, didn't seem to mind she looked like she was being eaten alive.

"OhmygoodGod. We-we, should go because this is weird and oh my God we're voyeurs," Sakura's babbling and Kiba holds a finger to his lips, still staring.

They're getting into it now, and Sakura who's no longer looking can still tell because she hears them – more precisely _her_. She looks back momentarily to grab Kiba's attention so they can go but is paralyzed for a fraction of a second by light green eyes staring at them from the dark. She sucks in a breath when they don't flinch despite their owner's body being otherwise occupied and she grips Kiba's jacket and drags him from the scene with ninja speed also driven by a natural fear of the Kazekage as well as her self-mortification.

The rest of night, Sakura is suspicious and jumpy that the Kazekage will come after them with his sand and suffocate them for spying on Hinata and he.

He doesn't but that doesn't stop Sakura from locking her windows despite the heat.

…

The next day while on her way to meet Tsunade concerning a patient with a new seal that eats the soul and changes it to chakra, Sakura meets Gaara.

Gaara, the Kazekage Gaara, who she and her boyfriend had been spying on while he'd been getting lucky with Hinata. Sakura freezes in the hallway, arms full of papers and turns to a random room but sand drags her back out to meet the Evil That He Is.

The Kazekage stares her down, "You and the Inuzuka are terrible shinobi. I could hear you a mile away. Then you started talking." He leans down, closer to Sakura with something like dark mirth in his eyes but total homicidal seriousness on the rest of his face, "If you'd stayed there any longer Hinata would've seen you."

Sakura understands the rest because really, even if Hinata changed, she is still Hinata. Hinata would blush and vanish quick enough to befuddle Houdini, which would leave Gaara behind high and dry and pissed. She gulps and nods, smiling nervously. "I didn't want to stay I mean it was all Kiba's idea to stay because I kind of sort of saw you a little and what you were doing and I didn't want to stick" – the look on Gaara's face stops her.

"So I won't kill you. Or maim you, what does she like to eat?"

Sakura draws a blank. _What? What?! WHAT?!_ "You…want to take her…out?" she asks, hesitant and surprised.

His eyes narrow, "Is there a problem with that?"

Sakura shuts her mouth on how she thought it had been a one night stand sort of thing, and says, "She likes Chinese and Thai food a lot. She likes sweets a lot too, and spicy things."

Gaara pulls back and nods to himself, muttering several restaurant names under his breath. The sand releases her. "Say hello to Lee for me Haruno."

She blinks and he's gone, small gold sprinkles of sand left in his wake. She blinks once, twice and congratulates Hinata on finding a guy interested in her.

…

Sakura covers her head with her pillow to drown out the odd noises from above and Ino's howling laughter. She glares at the blonde pig who's rolling on her bed clutching her stomach.

The pictures of their teammates and other miscellaneous photos hung on the wall of their shared flat shake and shudder consistently.

"I don't believe this," Sakura hisses to Ino, "It's been hours. This is like their first date, I'm assuming, and it's already like this!" she points up.

Ino snorts. "Hinata deserves to get lucky for her own personal gain once in a while I think." Above Sakura's nightstand, the picture of Team 7 quakes dangerously. It looks like it's going to fall from its nail.

"So do I, but I mean really! Why could they go back to his place?!" she snarls.

Gaara and Hinata must have had a good date because Hinata's apartment is right above hers, and the lamps attached to the walls have been flickering in their apartment since they got back from dinner, with the pictures on the wall shaking and leaving Sakura completely mortified.

Ino shrugs and the noise stops, all movement stops, "Told you this was probably their last round."

Sakura growls, "That man is a fuckin' beast, honestly." Ino shushes her and switches the lamps off. "I'm glad they're done. I have to be at the hospital early tomorrow for overtime. I mean great for Hinata but _Jesus Christ_."

"Good night Bitch Pants McCrabby," Ino comments, sliding in between her sheets.

"Night shit britches." Sakura flops on her back and breathes out, letting her breathing lull and slow.

Something above them slammed, and Sakura's eyes peeled back wide. "Oh my good God no," she moaned piteously, dragging her pillow over her eyes. "Noooooo," she kicks her legs in a mini tantrum, pillow still stuffed to her face.

She can hear the pictures on the wall shake and the gentle clinks of the lamps trembling as well. Why? The Kazekage was doing this because she'd accidentally caught them in the act, she just knows it! This was his way of taking karmic justice into his own hands. Naruto was wrong. Gaara was still an evil son of a bitch who ate babies and punished people like_ this_.

The sound of glass breaking adds to the noise and Sakura knows what caused it. "Oh for fuck's sake," she groans.

Somewhere in the dark, Ino snorts in ill disguised laughter before giggling uncontrollably and singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in the intervals she has breath to do so.

Sakura snarls but hums along with Ino nevertheless.

…

And there ya go. Not for minors? XD

Thanks for your suggestions and reviews and yes, it won't be consistently updated since I'm taking hard classes and –le gasp- my life doesn't revolve around fan fictions.

However, I will try, so send in your words!

Have a nice day folks and a drop a word if you like.


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